Fellow Skulls, gather round and hear the terrifying tale of Raise The Death Toll, a Brutal Death Metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. Stepping into "Penthouse Of A Thousand Corpses," the debut EP from Raise The Death Toll, is a truly brutal experience for only the hardest and heaviest of Skulls.
"Penthouse Of A Thousand Corpses" is 6 tracks, and features a couple of high profile guest performances. Recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by the band, Raise The Death Toll show their innovation and drive to succeed in a difficult modern music landscape.
The first track "The End" is a short intro track featuring the infamous Jim Jones sample. I feel like this sample in particular is a little overdone in metal in general, but I do want to thank the band for not blowing my speakers out on the first notes. This is an eerie way to ease into the ridiculous brutality that follows.
The title track "Penthouse Of A Thousand Corpses" turns the brutality all the way up to 11. Featuring Philip "Brawla" Dussor's (Vocals) deranged lyrics and intense lows, this song is purely unsettling. Fans of Devourment or Abominable Putridity will understand and appreciate what's going on here, but the Brutal Death Metal genre as a whole is definitely not for the casual metal listener.
Raise The Death Toll is only officially 3 people. Dussor handles vocal duties while all the rest is handled by his band mates Gavin Brehm (Programming / Bass / Guitars) and Christopher Stoufflet (Guitars). The band chose to program the drums instead of using a drummer in studio. For this style of metal it makes sense. A live drummer is going to have a tough time with the precise nature of the music and the speed / endurance that's required to play it.
"The Omen Of Disaster" is the band's chosen single off the EP, and it features Mark Hunter (Chimaira) as a guest. The song plays out in two distinct movements; the Omen itself, "The Goat, The Lion, The Serpent" ... and then the Disaster, finishing off with an awful death, "Razor-wire Round Your Neck." Raise The Death Toll have blended the parts well here, and the distinct change in movements signals the shift for Hunter's verse part.
"Cannibalistic Chivalry" has a more traditional Death Metal feel to the guitar part, with single note fast picking dominating the verse. However, the song also contains a heavy slam section. This is a technical and fun song, and of course it's also about murder. The line "My Hunger Grows As I Feast On The Meat Of Rotting Love" stuck out to me as a dominant indicator of the song's content. This is my favorite track on the EP because I love the main guitar riff.
"The Lakeshore Strangler" is another guest feature track, with Rick Pinto (Boy Eats Girl) providing some Australian Deathcore influence. These vocals blend together wonderfully here, trading off lines between highs and lows. Pinto is famous for doing just this with his project already, and this song shows off multiple vocal techniques. There's even a short pig squeal crammed into this track.
The final track "The Hermit Homicides" is the longest song on the EP and it seems to end around the 3 minute mark, but comes back swinging for more with a low and slow banger of a riff. This is a great track lyrically, about a psychotic person who hears voices and follows their instructions to murder children.
"Penthouse Of A Thousand Corpses" is an insane, murder filled rampage of sound. This EP is the stuff of nightmares. For only 3 people, this band has managed to create a wonderfully brutal piece of art here. The sound quality is great, and the mix is nice and clear. These guys have clearly spent time and money to develop the right equipment to even record this EP by themselves.
SO my fellow Skulls, do you think you're heavy enough to survive? The only way you'll really know for sure is if YOU go check out the band for yourself! Click the links! Major kudos to Raise The Death Toll for submitting to 5 Skull Reviews!
"PENTHOUSE OF A THOUSAND CORPSES"
Type: EP release
Release date: July 25th, 2018
Label: Self-released
Tracklist:
01. The End (1:06)
02. Penthouse Of A Thousand Corpses (3:18)
03. The Omen Of Disaster (feat. Mark Hunter Of Chimaira) (4:31)
04. Cannibalistic Chivalry (3:38)
05. The Lakeshore Strangler (feat. Rick Pinto of Boy Eats Girl) (4:17)
06. The Hermit Homicides (5:01)
How to get it:
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Bandcamp:
THE VERDICT:
4 out of 5 Skulls
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